Even Steven

Things just have a way of working out for me. It's incredible really, the amount of things that are headed down a dangerous path and then magically I'm veered onto a safe course. Last night work was really getting to me...I was tired and irritable and ready to have a day off. I couldn't get anybody to cover my shift and the idea of calling in sick entertained me for the rest of the night. As the night wore on my plans became more and more cemented and I would surely get today off. This morning I set my alarm early to make the call. I set three alarms and slept through them all. By the time I woke up it was too late to make a phony call in and so I resigned myself to the fact that yes, I would have to work. So I shower...I change...I get all ready. I'm two seconds from walking out the door when the phone rings. My hero--Thom has gone to work in the hopes of picking up my shift. When I mentioned it the other night he wanted it and just forgot to call. Whew. Saved. A day off for cleaning and packing and chillin at home. And a phony sick-day was salvaged.
And no I have no fear...for the next time I feel doomed I only have to remember that things have a way of working out for me!

>!Censorship and Stuff!<

The house seems eerily quiet without my two roomates around. There are very different feelings of aloneness. Now that they're gone for a few days I get the house to myself; but it feels very different than when they'd leave for an hour or two. I don't even think I've been alone in this house for over 12 hours. It's just weird...I love the fact that I have the house to myself and can do whatever I want but I guess it's just that something's missing now. When I lived by myself I always had the place just exactly how I wanted but since moving here I've definitely had to adapt to other people and it feels a little empty without them. I guess that's exciting...for them, that this place feels empty without them. I would say that's the perfect definition of what makes a house a home.
Whoa...let's not get carried away here...it's not that I miss them. I mean, I love them...they're my family...well one's my family and one's on his way to being my family.
And I certainly won't miss the censorship. Yeah, my thoughts, my feelings, my innermost emotions are written down. I write...it's healthy, it helps clear my head and I vent. Yes, on this blog it becomes public....but it's still my thoughts, my words, my feelings and I've been censored. My sister who used to be a leading lady in the liberal thought process has felt need to comment on what I should and shouldn't feel. I guess she's fine with how I feel it's my matter of expression that gets to her. Well the sentence in question was deleted and my rights were violated. No biggie...she'll never live this one down though!

Bring Your Juke-box Money.....

You know what? It was a nice little Sunday. Yeah, we hit the mall, we hit Target, we brought our Cadillac and it's as big as a whale. The whole time we were doing the funky little shimmy...all the way to the Love Shack. Nothing rocks Christmas like the B-52's. Nothing rocks shopping like the dressing room extravaganza the Gregory Girls have created. It's a combination of our ability to have such a good time, to laugh at ourselves, and to be silly in that tiny little room with bad lighting and no place to sit (an area certainly not conducive to debate whether $89 is too much to spend on a shirt.) Anyways, yeah we kicked into high gear today. Granted, I don't think it tops that David's Bridal Spectacular of February 2004...but that's basically the World Series of dressing room productions. Today was the day we went Christmas shopping and we stepped into some unchartered territory. Strings were here and there, the back was in the front, legs were sticking out of the neck holes... We laughed, we tried to get situated, we tried not to cry. The cold weather means more clothes...crowded malls=higher temperature... raising the age old question--do I wear a coat? Do I dress like winter for the brief time I'll be in my car before it heats up...or do I dress down for summer and freeze my ass off anytime I'm not surrounded by the throngs of people doing that last minute Christmas rush. Well, I erred on the side of not catching hypothermia and went for winter with a slight edge--I skipped the coat...and I survived the mall. I did not overheat (the fleece socks were a bit too much and my feet did not thank me) but I did not freeze. All in all it was worth breaking my promise not to leave the house on my one day off before I fly home for Christmas.
Afterall, the b-52's wait for no man.

Could be Anything.

Da da da la la la la la la la. If I could say and do anything and everything I wanted would it still turn out in a way that would make me happy? Is there some imaginary line that I can get close to but never quite close enough? Is it up to me to get to a certain point and then wait for everything to fall into place? I'm living this fantasy...it's like I'm actually stuck into a world that is my so called life but it's just in my freaking head. Am I delusional? Am I a nut case?
I'm always reflective...but it's the end of the year and so I'm usually more so.
And this year...that this neverending year of ups and downs is almost over scares me a little...it also gives me some freedom...some distance. When I think of how I spent New Year's Eve 2004...yikes. I don't want anything like that to represent my life now. I don't want people like that in my life anymore. I am a different person now and I'm so lucky. I'm so lucky to have bounced around and fallen down because I was able to get back up. And I broke but I think I had to shatter so that I could choose which pieces I wanted to bring with me.
For some reason my reflections always get kind of depressing. And well, yes, this year was the year for the depression, the doctor, the pills...so it should make sense. But it's also so freakin amazing because now I can laugh and be silly and be free of the damage that I let hang around for so damn long.
I'm glad the year is almost over. It was hard and it'll always be with me...but now...now is the year for the fun. For life. Living every day of life is my gift. I have all that other crap out of the way and I'm free for all the good stuff. And I don't care if that's it's up to me or if it just happens because I do what I do and whatever's in my head will just keep on keeping on....

Friday's Thoughts

Why is this stupid guy next to me yakking on his cell phone when the signs clearly display the No Talking on Your Cell Phone policy. And the policy, simply stated is no talking. They don't even need a policy--the opening lines pretty much state it all. If he's such a "detail oriented perfectionist" why the hell is he ignoring the damn sign. The Library. Frustrating. More and more reasons why I hate this town.
I mean, one of my top ten reasons for leaving Whitworth was because of the akward library run-in with a few very select Pirates who may or may not be skulking around...and huh, usually on their cell phone. (Yeah, Emily...if you're reading this try not and laugh so much you disturb the person next to you in the library) Whatever. I now more than I ever wanted to about this nurse man sitting next to me. And hey, nancy-boy, an MD never seemed appealing to ya! My usual liberal behavior has gone right out the window in all this rage.
Yay! Home for Christmas in 8 days! I'm all for spending the holidays with the fam And hopefully I can scope out a new pad to keep all my stuff once I haul it all back to Spokane.
Well yeah, duty calls..time to pick up my paycheck and head to the bank. Happy Friday!

I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone

Since this is the season of giving...I'm giving some much needed advice I thought was funny...and yet sadly, so true. The restaurant biz is my life...and my life could greatly be improved with just a bit more awareness on the life of a server.

The next time you're out eating at a resturant, look at your server. Do you think they are really happy to be doing that job? The answer is no, they are not, but it's what we do, and we do it for the money so please help them out. Its a tougher job than you think and you should pay them accordingly!

There are SO many people out there flooding the restaurants w/o any knowledge of how to tip. Here is a short guide for the general public to follow. Feel free to print out and store in your wallet and/or purse.

1. CHILDREN "THE LITTLE DEVILS":
If you have children, DO NOT let them, open and dump anything on the table (ie; salt, sugar, etc). IF YOU DO, you must leave an extra $5 for the server to clean up YOUR CHILD'S mess & to restock the now unusable wasted items. We are neither their babysitter nor their parent. The least you can do is pay us for the extra work. Also make sure you control your kids and don't let them scream or run around the restraunt. It's very distracting not to mention dangerous if they get ran over by a server with hot food in their hands.

2. "THE CAMPERS":
If you feel the necessity to stay for longer than 15 minutes after you pay, its an extra $3 every 30 minutes. We make our money from the tables. If you are in one and we can't seat it, we don't make money.

3. COMPLIMENTS:
Telling a server they are the best server they've ever had is not a tip. If we are good, let us know by leaving us more money. We cant pay our bills on compliments. Its not that we don't appreciate the praise, its just that if you say that and then leave 10% it's an insult.

4. THE SALVATION PAMPHLETS:
Prayer cards and any other religious pamphlet is NOT a tip. It is insulting that you assume we are w/o religion and must save us. Again, like ..3, we cant pay bills w/prayer cards. We'd go to church on Sundays if it wasn't mandatory to work on Sundays because EVERYONE who goes to church follows it by eating out.

5. TIPPING:
It is not 1960. Cost of living has gone up dramatically since then. 18% is the MINIMUM amount of what you should be tipping your servers. Just look at the tax line and multiply by 2-3, this gives you your minimum tip amount. Remember, our companies pay us minimum wage (MINIMUM WAGE FOR SERVERS IN IDAHO IS 3.25 Per hour...yeah, our tips are our wage!) And we are taxed on 10 percent of your meal automatically anyway. So if you dont leave a tip, WE END UP PAYING FOR YOUR MEAL!!

6. THE COMPLAINERS:
If you get a discount because of your food was prepared wrong or something, do not take it out of our tip. We didn't cook it. The cooks get paid hourly regardless if the food sucks. However, we only make what you give us.

7. THE LATE ONES:
If you come into the restraunt 10 mins before closing or any time near closing hurry up and order your food and get out. Closed means closed, not social hour. It is so rude to sit there and take your sweet ass time. We can't leave until you leave because we have to do sidework and clean the table you are sitting at. We don't want to stand there waiting for you for an extra hour just because you don't want to go home. We recommend 24 hour establishments such as Dennys if you wish to sit into the wee hours of the night.

8. THE TABLE HOGGERS:
If you only come in for coffee or a dessert, to do paper work, or to have a meeting, don't sit there taking up our booths for hours. We are not Starbucks or a hotel restraunt. If you want to sit for hours, go there or else you better leave a good tip for us and camping fee included.

9. THE GREET:
When we come up to the table to greet you and we ask how you are doing please let us know. We honestly want to know how you are doing. If you are in a bad mood we want to know that from the beginning. A confused stare or complete silence does not suffice as a reply to "How are you doing?". Also don't interrupt our greeting and say "I want coffee", "can we get some bread, or "what are the soups?"

10. THOSE DAMN CELL PHONES:
Don't ever talk on your cell phone in a restraunt. This is probably the rudest thing to do. If you must be on your cell, at least keep your voice down in respect for other customers. If you are on your cell phone when we walk up to greet your table we will walk away until you get off your phone. Just show some respect and give us your attention for a couple of minutes.

11. TAKE-AWAY OR TOGOS:
Always remember to tip the take-out order servers! They work just as hard as a server, and hardly ever get tips for it! WE DESERVE TO BE TIPPED TOO!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SERVERS READING THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please repost this so the word can get out, since so many people are uneducated about tips and our lives depend on this - atleast for now......

SIGNED, YOUR FELLOW RESTAURANT WORKERS

Tizzle- OOh, Oh, I have one too! As a former server myself I have to say that slooze is right on the money! I have one to add to this list.

12.LARGE PARTIES:
It's always fun to go out with your friends, sometimes as many as ten of them. If you do this on a friday night, expect to wait a while for a table if you don't have a reservation. Often times tables have to be pushed together to accomodate for seating and this requires both previous parties to leave before you can be sat. That means that one server has to have an empty table waiting for any length of time. When your party does get sat, understand that it you're not the only party in the restaurant and that it takes longer for a server to get ten drinks (plus ten waters) than it does to get three or four. So be patient. Also, when it comes to birthdays, we don't give a shit. There was one an hour before yours and there will be another an hour later. So don't expect us to think your party requires special attention. That's what your friends are for. Speaking of being friends at a birthday party, BRING CASH and BRING CHANGE!!! How old are you? Don't make the poor server split you check 5 ways. Get your shit together. The last thing a server wants to hear when they walk by a party is, "alright guys hold on, someone didn't put in, we're still short." That translated means, bad tip. Which brings up my next point, the tip. The same rules for small bills applies to big ones. Actually it should be more generous. For some reason customers seem to think, "Well, we spent plenty of money already on the food, so twenty should be enough." Maybe on a 100 dollar tab. Your server already sacrificed extra time and effort to serve your party, so show them the courtesy of giving them a good tip.

Sarah- This shit is so true. I have another one to add on-

13. DO NOT hit on your waitress/bartender. Its uncomfortable, creepy and unappreciated. and most of the time if you weird your server out they are not gonna want to come back to your table, which means you are not gonna get all the shit that you need/want. If you decide that you just can't control yourself and feel the need to make a pass at your server, this translates to at least an extra ten dollars in addition to the already standard 20%. There's nothing worse than a gross guy hitting on you and then leaving you a shitty tip. However, if your server is a guy, feel free to hit on him. they like it. its good for their ego. Most guys that work in restaurants are single anyways and always looking for fresh squirrel.

I have one small thing to add on - Nick

15. Please realize that you are not the only people we (your servers) are waiting on. We will do our best to make it feel that way, but we are doing our best to make 4 or 5 other tables feel that way too. So please keep that in mind. And before you complain that your drinks aren't being refilled fast enough or some other petty little thing... take a look around you and look to see what else your waiter is doing. If he/she is standing around doing nothing, then by all means, complain. But if they're running their asses off to make all of you people happy, maybe hold back on the petty whining.

And I'm adding this--Heather

16. Teenagers...yeah, we don't think you're funny, or cute, or the badass of your highschool. We think you are assholes who are trying to be funny and cute and the badass of your highschool. Leaving 2 pennies is insulting and if I wouldn't get fired I'd slap you. You're loud, obnoxious, and disrupt everyone around you. And I'm still tempted to hunt you down and slap you.

"I WANT TO BE A DENTIST!"

I have busted out all my christmas music and am really enjoying the variety this year. I'm going to freely admit I splurged and I liked it. Bring on Charlie Brown Christmas Music...bring on Victoria's Secret Christmas Eve/Morning Mix (yes, I did... I bought a cd at VS...but a damn good one and only 10 bucks!) and my personal favorite---drumroll please, Burl Ives! Yes. "Silver and Gold...Silver and Gold." And there's nothing like "the island of misfit toys!"
Christmas fever has hit...and I'm running outside in freezing weather with wet hair trying to catch that cold! It's great...I love everything about it. Cold weather and cute clothes to wear and be warm. Twinkle lights--props to the new boy living in our house for hooking us up with twinkle lights on the porch! :) And tomorrow is the day...I believe it is the day for a yard decoration. I'm thinking a deer or a moose, definitely leaning towards the twinkle light moose. Pretty packages under the tree, cute little Santa face bouncing around, and candy canes.
And I've started my gingerbread prep. I was robbed last year. My gingerbread house Monticello was a freaking replica...Thomas Jefferson came back to life to prove how great my house was, and I still lost. Family votes are never fair. This year, I will not lose again. And I will not forget those who voted against me...

Coolness & Currency!

"The only true currency in this bankrupt world... is what you share with someone else when you're uncool" Lester Bangs in Almost Famous

The knitting...I feel like an old woman here knitting alone, drinking my cocoa, cider, tea, whiskey, whateva...I'm usually thirsty for any of that at some point :)

Reason #12 to move back in with Emily: we share a lot of uncools, but see sharing them makes them cool and that is reason enough to drive 8 hours in a UHaul. It's like we're cool hipster cosmopolitan girls knitting as long as we're both doing it. When it's just me I feel like I should be checking for my social security check in the mail and asking for the senior menu. Mosying around with my walker and my first alert necklace. It's all worth it I guess, the life of a retiree sounds alright to me. I'm just not sure how ready I am for that yet.

So yeah, moving back to Spokane with my friend will be cool...we'll make it cool!

Lights!

Automatic lights--cool. The construction guys blocking my driveway every damn day-- not cool. Snow--cool. Late rent checks--not cool. Starting my advent calender--beyond cool. Let's all do three years for December 1st. I am very excited about the Christmas season.
Monday we got our tree. I felt I was betraying my North Idaho heritage walking across the parking lot, picking out a tree, paying for it, and having them carry it to the truck. I didn't have to do any heavy lifting, let alone any sawing, which is always a dissapointment in my book. Now the tree's up, decorated and making the house smell pretty. And today we got snow! Lots of pretty snow. Granted, it was ruined by all the rain today...made slushy, which will of course turn to ice and be scary but for today it was nice. Clean. Fresh snow always tidies up a place.
And work. Yeah, I love going to my job every day. But I need to do this...I need to do this for me. I would love more responsibility and I love the respect I have and the job I do. But since I don't have that responsibility yet, I'm taking a vacation...I'm going home...and I'm staying for an extra long time! Bring on the holidays! Bring it on...cause I'm all fired up and ready to go!